PREVIOUS LECTURES IN THE 2020-2022 SERIES
Monday, September 14, 2020
Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren
Presentation by Christian DiSpigna
Had he not died at Bunker Hill, Dr. Joseph Warren might have led the country as Washington or Jefferson did. Yet after his death, his life and legend faded, leaving his contemporaries to rise to fame in his place and obscuring his essential role in bringing America to independence. Until now, little has been known of this architect of the colonial rebellion, whose protests and writings helped unite the colonies against Britain and inspired the Declaration of Independence. For more information Click Here.
Monday, October 12, 2020
George Washington’s Nemesis: The Outrageous Treason and Unfair Court-martial of Major General Charles Lee during the American Revolution
Presentation by Christian McBurney
General Lee, second in command in the Continental Army led by George Washington, was captured by the British in December 1776. While a prisoner, he prepared and submitted to his captors a military plan on how to defeat Washington’s army as quickly as possible. This extraordinary act of treason, arguably on a par with Benedict Arnold’s heinous treachery, was not discovered during his lifetime. For more information Click Here.
Monday, November 9, 2020
Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for the Control of Philadelphia
Presentation by Michael Harris
Today, Germantown is a busy neighborhood in Philadelphia. On October 4, 1777, it was a small village on the outskirts of the colonial capital whose surrounding fields and streets witnessed one of the largest battles of the American Revolution. The bloody battle represented George Washington’s attempt to recapture Philadelphia, but has long been overshadowed by better-known events like Brandywine, Saratoga, and Valley Forge. Award-winning author Michael C. Harris’s impressive Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for the Control of Philadelphia, October 4, 1777, elevates this important action from obscurity in the first full-length study of this pivotal engagement. For more information Click Here.
Monday, December 14, 2020
A Colonial Christmas – A Winter with Washington’s Army
Presentation by Mike Jesberger
This lecture discusses the military movements of the Continental Army led by General George Washington in Pennsylvania during the winter of the 1776 and the Christmas night crossing of the Delaware and the attack on Trenton. Mr. Jesberger will also discuss how Christmas was celebrated in the colonial period and the many differences in relation to how the holiday is celebrated today.
For more information Click Here.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Eyewitness Images from the American Revolution
Presentation by Arthur S. Lefkowitz
Most images depicting the American Revolution are historically inaccurate nineteenth- and twentieth-century recreations. Historian Arthur S. Lefkowitz is working to change this. Mr. Lefkowitz gathered images from artists who were eyewitnesses to the events of our War for Independence.
Join us as Arthur S. Lefkowitz talks about book “Eyewitness Images from the American Revolution”. For more information Click Here.
SOLD OUT
Monday, February 8, 2021
Benjamin Franklin’s Experiments
Presentation by Mike Kochan
We all think we know the story of Benjamin Franklin, we know the story of him flying a kite in a thunderstorm, but do you know the other inventions he worked on?
Join as we welcome back Benjamin Franklin (aka Mike Kochan) who will be demonstrating some of Benjamin Franklin’s Experiments. For more information Click Here.
Monday, March 8, 2021
The Battle of Whitemarsh
Presentation by Bob Bradley
When we hear of Valley Forge, we think of the suffering of the Continental Army and George Washington’s efforts to keep everything together. But what happened during the weeks before that fateful march into the winter camp in December of 1777?
Join us to learn more about the Battle of Whitemarsh. For more information Click Here.
Monday, April 12, 2021
2020 Results of the Paranormal Tour of the Paoli Battlefield
presented by Laurie Hull and Kelly Schmitt
We welcome back our paranormal expert, Laurie Hull, and Malvern Paranormal’s Kelly Schmitt. Laurie and Kelly will reveal the results from our paranormal tours of the Paoli Battlefield which took place in October of 2020.
For more information Click Here.
Monday, May 10, 2021
James Monroe: A Life
presented by Tim McGrath
Learn about The extraordinary life of James Monroe: soldier, senator, diplomat, and the last Founding Father to hold the presidency, a man who helped transform thirteen colonies into a vibrant and mighty republic.
For more information Click Here.
Monday, June 14, 2021
Benjamin Rush : Revolution, Madness & the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father
presented by Stephen Fried
The remarkable story of Benjamin Rush, medical pioneer and one of our nation’s most provocative and unsung Founding Fathers.
For more information Click Here.
Monday, July 12, 2021
Washington’s Headquarters along the Neshaminy: The August Encampment of 1777
presented by Mike Jesberger
This program will talk about how this piece of Pennsylvania Revolutionary War history lasted for 13 days, from August 10-23, 1777, and was the third longest encampment in Pennsylvania, exceeded only by Whitemarsh and Valley Forge. It is of importance also as this was the location where Washington and his troops camped while they waited for news of the elusive British Fleet who was rumored to be heading towards the capital of Philadelphia. For more information Click Here.
Monday, August 9, 2021
How Americans fought the Stamp Act with Memes
presented by J. L. Bell
A talk on How the Americans Fought the Stamp Act with Memes. This program will show how the Americans use Memes to fight what they considered the horrible Stamp Act passed by the British Parliament. For more information Click Here.
Monday, September 13, 2021
The Provincial Corps Raised in Philadelphia 1777-1778
presented by Todd W. Braisted
When Sir William Howe launched his campaign to capture Philadelphia in August 1777, some 575 Loyalist troops were a part of his forces.By the time Philadelphia was evacuated nine months later, over 2100 marched out of the city. Who were these people? For more information Click Here.
Monday, October 11, 2021
Spells and Witchcraft during the American War of Independence
presented by Dr. Bob Selig
Dogs that would not bark, women who turned into animals at night: the belief in the existence of witches and witchcraft was widespread during the second half of the 18th century. Sometimes these powers were employed in the cause of American Independence, sometimes against it. For more information Click Here.
Monday, November 8, 2021
Forgotten Founding Fathers: Pennsylvania and Delaware in the American Revolution
presented by Gene Pisasale
The struggle for liberty and creation of our system of government depended not only on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, but also many people who played a vital role but who are not well known today. Learn more about about the people who were a critical part in the cause. For more information Click Here.
Monday, December 13, 2021
Revolutionary Princeton 1774-1783: The Biography of an American Town in the Heart of a Civil War
presented by Larry Kidder
The story of Princeton between 1774 and 1783 is a microcosm of the struggles faced by ordinary Americans during the Revolution, struggles intensified by Princeton’s geographic location within the State which saw more military activity than most and on a road constantly used to move troops and their supplies. Learn more about about the people who were a critical part in the cause. For more information Click Here.
Monday, January 10, 2022
Numerical Strength of Washington’s Army During the Philadelphia Campaign
presented by Gary Ecelbarger & Michael Harris
For 245 years, the numerical strength of George Washington’s newly created 1777 Continental army as it entered the Philadelphia Campaign–marked by the iconic battles of Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown–has been purely a guessing game for historians since no troop-strength returns have been known to exist between May and November of that tumultuous year. For more information Click Here.
Tuesday February 15, 2022
Hessian Prisoners in Pennsylvania
presented by Michael Jesberger
The program focuses on how the Continental Army dealt with enemy prisoners captured in battle and uses eyewitness accounts to highlight some of the experiences of German as well as British prisoners of war during the American Revolution in the Pennsylvania region. For more information Click Here.
Monday, March 14, 2022
Results of the 2021 Paranormal Tours of the Paoli Battlefield
presented by Laurie Hull and Hugo Schmitt
Do you think the battlefield is haunted? Come out for our lecture and presentation and see for yourself that some things that happen there defy easy explanation. Laurie and Hugo will reveal the results from our paranormal tour of the Paoli Battlefield. For more information Click Here.
Monday, April 11, 2022
The Week Before Paoli: A New Interpretation of George Washington’s and William Howe’s Decisions Before, During, and After the Battle of the Clouds
presented by Gary Ecelbarger
This self-explanatory topic focuses on the September 12-18 portion of the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign. Ecelbarger’s version of this period challenges much of the traditional interpretation of these eight calendar days. For more information Click Here.
Monday, May 9, 2022
George Washington’s Nemesis: The Outrageous Treason and Unfair Court-martial of Major General Charles Lee during the American Revolution
presented by Christian McBurney
General Lee, second in command in the Continental Army led by George Washington, was captured by the British in December 1776. While a prisoner, he prepared and submitted to his captors a military plan on how to defeat Washington’s army as quickly as possible. This extraordinary act of treason, arguably on a par with Benedict Arnold’s heinous treachery, was not discovered during his lifetime. For more information Click Here.
Monday, June 13, 2022
Poor Richard’s Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father
presented by Nancy Rubin Stuart
A vivid portrait of the women who loved, nurtured, and defended America’s famous scientist and founding father. Everyone knows Benjamin Franklin—the thrifty inventor-statesman of the Revolutionary era—but not about his love life. Poor Richard’s Women reveals the long-neglected voices of the women Ben loved and lost during his lifelong struggle between passion and prudence. For more information Click Here.
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Lafayette at Brandywine: The Making of an American Hero
presented by Bruce E. Mowday
America’s first international hero, the Marquis Lafayette, risked his life and spent his fortune in the fight for American independence from England. Without Lafayette and the assistance of France, America would never have been victorious during the American Revolution. For more information Click Here.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for the Control of Philadelphia
presented by Michael Harris
Join us as we welcome back award winning author Michael Harris who will be presenting his new book Germantown: A Military History of the Battle for the Control of Philadelphia, October 4, 1777. For more information Click Here.
Past Lectures in the 2019-2020 Lecture Series:
Monday, September 9, 2019 –
Painting Soldiers, Spies and Patriots: John Singleton Copley (Part II)
presented by Jaan Ingle Troltenier
Monday, October 14, 2019 –
Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution
presented by Judith Van Buskirk
Monday, November 11, 2019 –
Battle of the Clouds
presented by Chris Reardon
Tuesday, November 26, 2019 –
SPECIAL EVENT – Cost of Revolution: Rediscovering an Irish Veteran of Paoli
Presentation by Matthew Skic, Associate Curator, Museum of the American Revolution and Theatrical Performance by Patrick Poole as Richard St. George
Monday, January 13, 2020 –
Between the Delaware and the Schuylkill: Brigadier General John Lacey and the Pennsylvania Militia, 1778
Presentation by Denis Cooke
Monday, February 10, 2020 –
Unlikely General: “Mad” Anthony Wayne and the Battle for America
Presentation by Denis Cooke
Monday, March 9, 2020 –
Results of the Paranormal Tour of the Paoli Battlefield
Presentation by Laurie Hull and Kelly Schmitt
Past Lectures in the 2018-2019 Lecture Series:
Monday, September 10, 2018 –
Painting Soldiers, Spies and Patriots: John Singleton Copley
presented by Jaan Ingle Troltenier
Monday, October 8, 2018 –
Grand Forage 1778: The Battleground Around New York City
presented by Todd W. Braisted
Monday, November 12, 2018 –
Western Maryland and Pennsylvania Troops in Defense of Baltimore in the War of 1812
presented by Christopher T. George
Monday, January 14, 2019 –
British Army Foraging Policy in The South
presented by Dr. Gregory J.W. Urwin
Monday, February 11, 2019 – George Washington: First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His – and the Nation’s – Prosperity
presented by Edward G. Lengel
Monday, March 11, 2019 –
2018 Results of the Paranormal Tour of the Paoli Battlefield
presented by Laurie Hull and Kelly Schmitt
Monday, April 8, 2019 –
Outside the Encampment: Impact of the Valley Forge Encampment on the Local Area
presented by Thomas J. McGuire
Monday, May 13, 2019 –
Benjamin Franklin’s Navy
presented by Tim McGrath
Monday, June 10, 2019 –
An Evening With His Excellency: George Washington
portrayed by Dean Malissa
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 –
Colonial Music and Dancing
Charlie Zahm, Tad Marks, Noah Lewis, and Lynne King
2017-2018 Lecture Series
9/11/17 – Crossroads of the Revolution: Trenton 1774-1783
Presented by William Kidder, For more details Click Here
10/9/17 – Abductions in the Revolution
Presented by Christian McBurney, For more details Click Here
11/13/17 – Revolutionary Delaware
Presented by Kim Burdick, For more details Click Here
1/15/18 (postponed from 1/8) – Lancaster Road and the American Revolution
Presented by Thomas J. McGuire, For more details Click Here
2/12/18 – Give Me A Fast Ship
Presented by Tim McGrath, For more details Click Here
3/12/18 – Results of the 2017 Paranormal Tours of the Paoli Battlefield
Presented by Kelly Schmidt and Aubrey Baldwin, For more details Click Here
4/9/18 – British Army Wives
Presented by Don N. Hagist, For more details Click Here
5/14/18 – Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It
Presented by Larrie D. Ferreiro, For more details Click Here
6/4/18 – James and Dolley Madison
Featuring Kyle Jenks and Elissa Paulissen, For more details Click Here
7/17/18 – Colonial Music and Dancing
Featuring Charlie Zahm, Tad Marks, Noah Lewis, and Lynne King, For more details Click Here
2016-2017 Lecture Series
9/12/16 – Lock, Stock, and Barrel
Presented by Chris Reardon, For more details Click Here
10/10/16 – Alexandar Hamilton
Presented by Gene Pisasale, for more details Click Here
11/14/16 – Ben Franklin’s Experiments
Presented by Mike Kochan, for more details Click Here
1/9/17 – The Revolution’s Last Men
Presented by Don Hagist, for more details Click Here
2/13/17 – John Barry: An American Hero in the Age of Sail
Presented by Tim McGrath, for more details Click Here
3/13/17 – Results of the 2016 Paranormal Tours
Presented by Laurie Hall, for more details Click Here
4/10/17 – Fort Mifflin: The Fort that Saved America
Presented by Elizabeth Beatty, for more details Click Here
5/8/17 – Soldiers Stories from Valley Forge
Presented by Dr. Nancy Loane, for more details Click Here
7/18/17 – An Evening of Patriotic Music
Presented by Charlie Zahm, (with Special Guest Tad Marks), For more details Click Here
2015-2016 Lecture Series – 5 YEARS!
7/28/2016 – An Evening of Colonial Dancing
Presented by Noah Lewis. For more details Click Here.
*9/21/2015 – The 1stRhode Island Regiment
Presented by Joe Becton. For more details Click Here.
10/12/2015 – Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777
Presented by Michael Harris. For more details Click Here.
11/9/2015 – Charles Thomson: (the Secretary to the Continental Congress) The Man America Forgot
Presented by Bruce Gill. For more details Click Here.
1/11/2016 – Rebellion in the Ranks: Mutinies of the American Revolution
Presented by John Nagy. For more details Click Here.
2/8/2016 – Results of the Paranormal Tour of the Paoli Battlefield
Presented by Laurie Hull. For more details Click Here.
3/14/2016 – Kidnapping the Enemy: The Special Operations to Capture Generals Charles Lee and Richard Prescott
Presented by Christian McBurney. For more details Click Here.
4/11/2016 – British Soldiers, American War: Voices of the American Revolution
Presented by Don Hagist. For more details Click Here.
5/9/2016 – A Sea Change: Naval Warfare in the American Revolution in the Spring of 1778
Presented by Dennis Conrad. For more details Click Here.
7/19/2016 – An Evening of Colonial Music*
Presented by Charlie Zahm. For more details Click Here.
*=new date
2014 -2015 Lecture Series
7/29/2014 – An Evening with His Excellency General George Washington.
Presented by Carl Closs. For more details Click here.
9/8/2014 – Washington and Lafayette, The Friendship That Saved the Revolution
Presented by Gene Pisasale. For more details Click here.
10/13/2014 – Defiant Brides: The Untold Story of Two Revolutionary-Era Women and the Radical Men They Married
Presented by Nancy Rubin Stuart. For more details Click here.
11/10/2014 – Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty
Presented by Dr. Samuel Foreman. For more details Click here.
1/12/2015 – Invisible Ink Spycraft of the American Revolution
Presented by John A. Nagy. Click here for more details.
2/9/2015 – Results of Paranormal Activity at the Paoli Battlefield.
Presented by Laurie Hull. For more details Click here.
3/9/2015 – Seized in September, the Revolutionary War in Delaware
Presented by Kim Burdick. For more details Click here.
4/13/2015 – The Great Divide: the Conflict Between Washington and Jefferson that Defined a Nation
Presented by Thomas Fleming. For more details Click here.
5/11/2015 – Anthony Wayne and the Northwest Frontier
Presented by Dr. Michael Gabriel. For more details Click here.
2013-2014 Series
African Americans in the Revolution – Presented by Noah Lewis and Joe Becton. Noah Lewis is a Living History Presenter portraying Edward “Ned” Hector, a black colonial soldier, wagoneer, and respected patriot hero. Joe Becton was a Marine, a park ranger at Independence National Park, a counselor, a teacher, a musician, and Director of Visitor Services at Fort Mifflin. Both will present the dilemma of African Americans faced with joining the fight as either a loyalist or a patriot. (9/9/2013)
British Occupation of Valley Forge – Tom McGuire, author of the Battle of Paoli, The Philadelphia Campaign of 1777 (Parts I & II), and Stop the Revolution, will discuss the Valley Forge period that people have forgotten about, the time of the British occupation. (10/14/2013)
Archaeology of the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge, Delaware – Wade Catts, RPA, Associate Director, Cultural Resources Department of John Milner Associates, will talk about the first major battle of the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777, the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge in Delaware. Wade will discuss the archaeology that reveals a hard fought battle on September 3, 1777. (11/11/2013)
Dr. Benjamin Church, Spy: A Case of Espionage on the Eve of the American Revolution by Author John A. Nagy, a Scholar in Residence at Saint Francis University and Founder of the Revolutionary War Round Table of Philadelphia, returns to the series to talk about what he has written about in his latest book. (1/13/2014)
Results of the Paranormal Investigation of the Paoli Battlefield by Laurie Hull, the director and founding member of Tri-County Paranormal will reveal the results of a Paranormal Investigation of the Paoli Battlefield. 2/10/2014)
Reporting the Revolution by Bruce Mowday, respected local author, will discuss his book collaboration with Todd Andrlik, Reporting The Revolutionary War: Before It Was History It Was News, about the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown. (3/10/2014)
The Battle of Quebec by Dr. Michael Gabriel of Kutztown University returns to our lecture series to talk about the hard fought Battle of Quebec in 1775. 4/14/2014)
Now Prepare Thyself, Pennsylvania by Thomas McGuire, the title, comes from Rev. Henry Muhlenberg, who wrote it after hearing of the defeat at Brandywine, “Now prepare thyself, Pennsylvania, to meet the Lord thy God!” Scrounge around the county with British, Hessian, and Continental foraging parties; patrol the Lancaster Road with Col. Daniel Morgan and Captain Johann Ewald, and experience how they connected; share the grief of Gen. Nathanael Greene, who told Washington in February, “Like Pharaoh, I harden my heart,” while foraging to feed a desperate army; engage in spying with local patriots and loyalists; learn where Captain Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee fended off a 200-strong British dragoon force, using only eight men and his wits; share the tragedy of Rev. William Currie, Anthony Wayne’s pastor at St. David’s, who lost his family during the Valley Forge encampment. 5/12/2014)
2012-2013 Series
Spies in the Continental Capital: Espionage Across Pennsylvania During the American Revolution by John A Nagy
Follow The Drum: A New Look at the Valley Forge Encampment through the Eyes of the Women Who Lived it by Dr. Nancy Loan
The American Revolution Center by Dr. Scott Stevenson
The Revolution and the Paranormal by Laurie Hull
The Rhode Island Campaign: The First French and American Operation in the Revolutionary War by Christian McBurney
The Battle of Bennington by Dr. Michael Gabriel
2011-2012 Series
Mapping the Battles of 1777 by Sean Moir
Stop the Revolution by Thomas McGuire
The Turtle – A Revolutionary Invention: The Submarine by Michael Kochan
The British Army during the American Revolution by Dr. Gregory Urwin
Lancaster Road and the American Revolution by Thomas McGuire